First Day

I was wondering what everyone’s plan is on their first day of the hunt? Obviously it is to shoot a bird coming off the roost early but what if that doesn’t go as planned?

Do you run and gun? Pack up and hunt again in the afternoon? Scout another roosting spot that evening to prepare for the next day?

This will be my first season hunting and I will be hunting Season B around the Detroit Lakes/Ottertail area.

I don’t give up that easily. If the initial plan doesn’t pan out, and I am not a patient man, I run and gun. Try to find the birds or if you know where they are get ahead of them and set up. Just don’t push them out by getting to close and getting busted. I usually will hunt til 10am then head back for a snack and regroup. Head out for a mid day sit and watch and listen, then back to the roost in the evening to catch them coming back. If that doesn’t work then start all over the next morning.

It all depends on several factors. Like you I hunt in Central Minnesota ( Near the Staples / Motley area ) If you have permission for lots of land and you have done lot’s of scouting the Run and Gun approach may work for you. It will also depend on how vocal the birds are after fly down. As early in the season as your are ( B season I believe ) the birds may get a rather late start in the mornings. Last year most all our birds did not show up in the fields till around 9:30 or 10:00. I panicked on day one and started moving and chasing to early. Once I found out on day 2 that they were moving later than usual we held tight later each day and all 3 of use shot birds. 2 Were around 10-10:30 and the 3rd bird was even later. Despite the #’s of birds in the area and lack of pressure on them, They were not vary vocal at all. Almost no Gobbling after fly down. I have not had much luck targeting birds on the way to the roost in the late afternoon/evening. I’d rather stay a ways off and see if I could not put a few Birds to rest and get in on them early the next morning for another try. Good Luck this season !!!!

I try and find a roost right away. If that doesn’t pan out, I’ll run and gun until evening and then go set up on that roost again.

Once the early morning is over, I mite still stay in the blind if I am in a travel route. I normally hunt the later seasons for a number of reasons. One reason is, It is a lot E-Zer to get permission in the later seasons, cause the farmers kids, brothers, friends and the rest of the family are done hunting by then. Plus the birds travel a lot more and a lot farther in there search for hens. At that time of season most if not all hens are on there nest. But I may also get on the move. Some people say they go run and gunning. I would rather call it sneaky peteing.. I have killed just as many birds in the middle of the day as I have in the early morning set ups maybe more… GOOD LUCK and LONG BEARDS… …rrr

Thanks for the feedback guys. I’m heading out this weekend to check a fee spots out.